In the past, Fuli might not have dared to take on the task of feeding Kiana.
The Kaslana people were famously known for having a "Prime Minister's belly that can hold a boat" (very broad-minded/big appetite), and any close friend treating them to a meal would get fleeced for a whole boatload of food.
Besides, birds of a feather flock together, and people are divided by their poverty. In terms of having no money to spend, the two of them could be called a pair of fellow sufferers.
Fortunately, Fuli still had the startup capital his little aunt gave him. Although buying the scabbard and hilt fittings took up more than half, and he spent some here and there, the remaining amount was still enough for a few meals.
However, rather than going to a restaurant, Fuli preferred to go back to Kiana's place and cook with her.
It wasn't that he couldn't cook, and eating out meant getting ripped off.
But seeing the girl's eager, gluttonous cat look, and the fact that the shop she was eyeing was a Shenzhou-style breakfast shop, Fuli, missing the taste, finally walked in.
"Boss, start with ten baozi (steamed buns), and a bowl of fennel beans."
"Ten? Who are you looking down on!" Kiana huffed, raising her hands in jubilation. "Give this Miss twenty first! And tofu pudding! Spicy! Also soy milk and deep-fried dough sticks!"
Fuli couldn't help but complain, "Big sister, you really don't know the cost of firewood and rice since you don't run the household!"
"Oh, it's not like I won't pay you back! I need to be full to have the strength to work!" Kiana pulled him to find an empty seat.
"Right, right, the little girl is right," the waitress auntie said cheerfully. "Young man, learn from your girlfriend. How can you have the strength to work eating so little?"
When saying "work," she deliberately dragged out the sound. People are gossipy by nature.
"Who is her girlfriend? This Miss certainly isn't!"
"Having a lover's spat?"
The auntie smiled and didn't believe it at all. The clothes the little girl was wearing were clearly the young man's. Would they be so intimate if they weren't boyfriend and girlfriend?
Wearing this early in the morning, God knows what they did last night!
"She really isn't." Fuli also spoke up to deny it. "I can't afford a girlfriend like her. The only meaning of this guy's existence in the world is to drive up the price of rice."
"What do you mean this Miss only drives up the price of rice?" Kiana slapped the table angrily. "It's fine if you don't tie the knot (ligation) to repay kindness, but do you have to diss your most important savior like this?"
"That's called knotting grass and holding rings (repaying kindness/gratitude), not ligation! Read fewer third-rate novels and improve your literary literacy, okay?"
The surrounding customers couldn't help laughing hearing the banter of this bickering couple. For a moment, the shop was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.
At this time, the waitress also brought breakfast. The two tacitly stopped their oral gymnastics and split the food half and half.
"Can you eat this much?" Kiana looked suspicious.
"Whatever I can't finish is yours."
"Deal." Kiana took the sugar. "Do you want sugar in your soy milk?"
"Yes, two or four spoons."
"Why not three?"
"Adding three spoons of sugar will Bring bad luck." (referencing Tang Jia San Shao/Zhang Wei, a famous Chinese web novel author, if you read Chinese webnovel you know).
"True."
The girl nodded and bit into a freshly baked meat bun with an "Ow-woo" from her small cherry mouth.
Fragrant juice exploded on the tip of her tongue, and she narrowed her eyes in bliss.
"Mmh, sho good! Thanks, Ah-Li!"
"Hmph." Looking at her, the corners of Fuli's mouth couldn't help but curl up. "Eat slowly, don't choke."
"Okay-ow!"
Facts proved that Fuli indeed couldn't eat that much.
He wasn't Kiana who could only replenish physical strength by eating. Flowers, trees, sky, breeze, clouds, sun, rainbows, ocean, beach, forest, stones, gravel, earth... With the Human Immortal Dao, he could eat them all to replenish nutrients.
Before leaving, Kiana, under the kind persuasion of the waitress auntie, put on Fuli's pants. As always, she could be persuaded by soft words but not hard ones.
After leaving the breakfast shop, the girl asked, "Are you going to school later?"
Fuli was different from this academic slacker who skipped class at the drop of a hat. Even after transferring to the Far East, apart from a fight with some punks at the beginning for some reason, he was generally a good student with excellent character and academics.
"I am going, but not to attend class," Fuli replied. "I'm looking for someone."
"Who?"
"Raiden Mei."
As soon as the voice fell, Kiana stopped in her tracks with a 'pat-ta'.
Reacting a beat later, she quickly caught up. "Why are you looking for Mei-Senpai?"
Her eyes half-narrowed, and her tone gradually became bubbly/grumbling, like a big white cat whose yarn ball had been snatched away.
This was obviously within Fuli's expectations.
"To do what?" He spat out a practiced lie. "There's a small World Bubble bordering Earth near the Sea of Whales (Sea of Japan). I want to find two or three reliable teammates to explore it together. You and Raiden Mei are the companions I've selected."
To be honest, Kiana's dashing debut last night was a rare event, a variable completely beyond Fuli's expectations.
He had planned to quietly leave Nagazora City after taking the incomplete Jizo Mitama, trying not to affect the original trajectory of fate too much.
The Trio would continue on their broad road, and Fuli would walk his own single-log bridge.
After all, God knows what these three hackers experienced before his rebirth. After not seeing them for a few days, they would jump from being worse than him to heaven-defying S-rank.
Everyone was a survivor of the Third Eruption, and their relationship was quite good. Fuli didn't want to delay them or snatch away their original opportunities because of his actions.
It was different now.
Kiana, the most important of the Trio, had already been affected by his actions.
In that case, Fuli might as well go all the way. He would directly send the three of them out before the Third Eruption occurred, lest something happen to the sisters or they truly perish in this chaotic Nagazora City.
After that, if the Trio wanted to follow him, they could go together. If they wanted to leave, he would send them to St. Freya.
The latter goes without saying. If they followed him, Fuli was confident that their growth speed wouldn't be worse than the original.
He was a NG+ player and possessed the ultimate development aura—the all-around blessing of Grand Time-Robbing Gift.
If he couldn't carry them even with this, then he might as well wash up and sleep.
However, the matter of the Third Eruption certainly couldn't be said explicitly, or God knows what stupid things this hot-blooded idiot Kiana would do.
Therefore, Fuli smoothly lied about going out to explore. Anyway, there were indeed many similar previous civilizations ruins in this world.
If asked later, he would say that the Great Eruption in Nagazora City 'happened' to occur during the exploration.
Back to Kiana. Hearing the word 'adventure,' the lively and cute big cat's eyes instantly lit up.
"Hehe, choosing this Miss and Mei as your right-hand men, I guess you have some taste!"
She raised her head and put her hands on her hips, her nose almost pointing to the sky.
In the girl's view, Mei, who specialized in the ancient swordsmanship of Hokushin Ittō-ryū, was outstanding even among C-ranks. It was understandable that Fuli chose her.
"Ah, yes yes yes." Sitting in the taxi, Fuli perfunctorily answered her, then turned to the driver. "Master, Chiba Academy."
"Alright!"
"Hey! Wait for me!"
...